


Alpha

by APgeeksout



Category: NXT, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Episode Tag, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-27 00:16:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7595839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APgeeksout/pseuds/APgeeksout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dude," Chad says, squeezing his neck through the towel, squishing more cool water down his back, "you've gotta quit crying."</p><p> </p><p>A bit of unrepentant fluff to celebrate Gable and Jordan's being drafted to Smackdown; Set after their win at Takeover: Dallas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alpha

He can't feel his fingers. They're numb where they wrap around the belt, - _his_ belt - which he knows must be heavy, with all that gold and the thick leather that he's imagined so often sitting proud around his waist. He can't feel the weight of it either. Which is okay, because he's a little busy feeling pretty much every other thing all at once.

His heart's pounding in his chest, or maybe climbing into his throat. They're both full, anyway. So is his heart, for that matter. A matched set. 

He feels a cool weight settle against the back of his neck: one of Gable's towels, soaked in cold water that runs in soothing rivulets over his chest and down his back. 

"Dude," Chad says, squeezing his neck through the towel, squishing more cool water down his back, "you've gotta quit crying."

He laughs at that, and even though he's happy - so much so that _happy_ doesn't seem like a big enough word to cover it all - it comes out sounding wet and sobby, too. "Believe me, I'm trying." 

He really is. Has been all the way back up the ramp. All the way through the post-match interview ("... nobody who deserves it more than this guy right here; I promise you."). All the way along the receiving line that greeted them backstage (back-slaps and fist-pounds; a grinning double thumbs-up from Bayley even as she bopped around with her headphones and high ponytail to get primed for her own Title match; Dana with her arms around his neck yelling words that meant _you're awesome_ and _i love you_ and _i told you so!_ , even though they'd be insults coming from anyone else). All the way through his phone call home ("Don't apologize, Mom. Please. They don't have anybody else coming for Family Day, and I've got lots of people here.").

Chad straddles the bench and takes the seat next to him, laughing too, his own belt held reverently between his thigh and his palm. "Well, try harder, 'cause I feel bad trying to kiss you when you're all hiccuppy and stuff. And I _really_ want to kiss you right now." 

He hadn't thought he could feel anything else tonight, but here's Chad, proving him wrong again. All the breath punches out of him in another burst of sound that's caught somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. He sets the belt down gently on top of his bag, and then hooks out an arm to wrap around his partner and haul him close.

Water from the towel gooshes out over his own belly and soaks Gable's shirt where they're pressed together; Chad's probably going to have to wash his hair again, where it's clinging to the sweaty skin of his shoulder and his cheek.

"Thank you," he says into the damp waves, as he gives in and buries his face in the crook of his partner's neck. It's weird, feeling whole again only now that he knows he's just half of something great, and there's no not-weird way to say it - especially not while Gable is just sitting unusually quiet and still, scritching fingers into his hair and waiting for him to cry himself out - so he settles for more gratitude. "Thank you so much for getting me here." 

He sits up straighter, and Chad's hands falls to his shoulders, then lift up the dribbling ends of the towel to press against Jason's cheeks, swiping away sweat and tears both. 

"Don't thank me," Chad protests. "Or at least you gotta let me thank you too. I didn't do anything by myself; _we_ got _us_ here." He punctuates it with a little shake of his shoulders, a jolt of the (ready, willing) Gable-enthusiasm that Jason didn't know what to do with in the beginning and now doesn't know what he'd do without.

"Yeah." He nods and lets one of his hands drop to rest on both the solid muscle of Gable's thigh and the cool face of his Title. "Yeah, we did. Just. After all this time. Wasn't sure I was ever going to end up where I wanted to be."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What are you talking about "end up"?" Chad demands, with a grin almost as broad as his shoulders. "This is not the end! You and me are just getting started, my friend!" 

"Just the beginning," he agrees, and tips forward for the first kiss of the night.


End file.
